Contact:

Release Date:

Genre:

Plot:

When an unconfident young woman is cursed with an old body by a spiteful witch, her only chance of breaking the spell lies with a self-indulgent yet insecure young wizard and his companions in his legged, walking home. Full summary » | Full synopsis »

Company:

Did You Know?

Trivia:

Goofs:

Continuity: When Sophie leaves her bedroom, her dress has turned from green to blue. However, she couldn't have changed dresses because none of them would fit her after she was transformed (wider, much shorter, etc.).See more »

"Howl's Moving Castle" opened here in France on Jan. 12th (as "Le
Château Ambulant," natch), and I saw it at an avant-première. As a
raving fan of Miyazaki and of Diana Wynne Jones, I feel lucky to be an
American living in France -- I see there's no release date announced
yet for the U.S. Sorry, folks, and blame Disney!

I understand the feelings of viewers who have criticized the movie as
trite. I find it's less imaginative, in terms of character development
and emotional profundity, than Miyazaki's best masterpieces. However,
even a pedestrian Miyazaki movie is infinitely more rich, frightening,
imaginative and humane than any six Disney films put together, and
there's a lot to love in "Howl's Moving Castle."

I am glad I didn't reread Jones' book before seeing the film; even
going on my six-year-old memory of the novel, I can see the movie's a
very loose adaptation, and I think Jones fans would do best to try to
take the movie on its own merits instead of looking for a faithful
adaptation. That said, Miyazaki is surprisingly successful, at moments,
in capturing the richness of the novel's characters: the peculiar
co-habitation of charm and terror in Howl the sorcerer and his demon
companion Calcifer, and the pragmatic strength of will that makes us
love Sophie, the protagonist, who embodies both the fairy-tale
archetypes of the young girl and the old woman at once.

Miyazaki's directorial trademarks are here in spades. Most of them lend
strength and power to the film: his passion for open landscapes, his
vision of the power and horror of war, the uncompromised way his movies
work to empower children, and especially girls. A few of them are just
Miyazaki quirks that fans will recognize with amusement (walrus
mustaches, cobbled European squares, and flying machines for everyone!)
Richer and stranger, though, are the very successful integration of two
things that Disney animation never even approaches: the way even a
children's story can blur lines between an enemy and a friend, and the
cohabitation of the monstrous and the sublime. Enemy, ally, monster,
beloved: Miyazaki gives both visual and moral weight to these
disturbing contradictions, and certain scenes in "Howl's Moving Castle"
evoke a frightening sublimity I have never seen elsewhere than in
"Princess Mononoke."

I think the film suffers from a slightly hurried pace, especially with
respect to the protagonists' character development, and the result is a
loss of the subtlety that makes Jones' book such a gripping fairy tale.
Her Howl is more ambivalent, and her story is a more complex
investigation of adolescent heartlessness and the growth of the heart.
The ending, which falls back too much on clichéd imagery and
deus-ex-machina, also could have been better handled. All that said,
"Howl's Moving Castle" contains lots of treasures and will, I think,
stand up to repeated viewings. Miyazaki fans will be delighted, and
kids around the world should be given the chance to taste this latest
rich, respectful children's tale. (Be warned, though: there are moments
as terrifying as those in "Princess Mononoke," and younger kids will
need their parents with them.)

On a final note, as few hardcore fans of Japanese anime will need to be
reminded, the movie is doubtless best seen in its original version with
subtitles. The Japanese voice acting is terrific -- although the voice
of "young Sophie" doesn't strike me as anything special, the actors
playing the aged Sophie, Howl, and especially Calcifer are fantastic.
Calcifer is a magnificent creation and should delight even the most
conservative fan of the novel. I have serious doubts that the
inevitable English-language dub will do the nuances justice.

Related Links

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Edit page' button will take you through a step-by-step process.